"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
-Teddy Roosevelt

Had I the heavensí embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

My youngest son says some of the greatest/weirdest things! Sometimes it isn't even what he says but the wording he uses. It is so funny sometimes. I have never been one to keep a diary or journal but I might have to start writing some of them down.

My just turned seven year old:

"Mommy, watch this. Watch what I do on my bicycle".

He then proceeds to ride his bicycle in small circles while standing on the pedals. Then goes across the yard and pops a few wheelies. (very small wheelies, like Im not even sure the front tire left the ground every time, lol) And as he rides back by me.

"Did you see that, Mommy? I couldn't do that before. I couldn't do that until I got the spirit of riding a bicycle."

My youngest son says some of the greatest/weirdest things! Sometimes it isn't even what he says but the wording he uses. It is so funny sometimes. I have never been one to keep a diary or journal but I might have to start writing some of them down.

My just turned seven year old:

"Mommy, watch this. Watch what I do on my bicycle".

He then proceeds to ride his bicycle in small circles while standing on the pedals. Then goes across the yard and pops a few wheelies. (very small wheelies, like Im not even sure the front tire left the ground every time, lol) And as he rides back by me.

"Did you see that, Mommy? I couldn't do that before. I couldn't do that until I got the spirit of riding a bicycle."

I have no idea where he gets this terminology. lol

Ahhh! You definitely need to start writing them down. Your own family version of "Kids Say the Darndest Things"...something to treasure and be able to share with them when they're adults...maybe with kids of their own.

"Nobody knows better than me that eventually is an idea, not a given. There's no guarantee I'm going to eventually make it to anything, including breakfast tomorrow. But by the same token, I have to allow for the possibility. Otherwise, I've got nothing. And that's not me." - Alex Cross via James Patterson, Alex Cross, Run

"Reality is no excuse for bad storytelling." - some film school professor

This was a quote that I learned when I started studying 3D animation in college. I'm not sure who said it originally; but I heard it from Eric Hansen, who did a lot of special effects work on films like The Fifth Element, The Day After Tomorrow, Stealth, etc. The basic message is simple, telling a good story is more important than getting all the facts right. Also, just because people might conceivably do something in real life doesn't mean that it makes sense for them to do that same action in a story.

Something to keep in mind the next time you watch a movie that is "based on a true story" or "inspired by a true story."

"Reality is no excuse for bad storytelling." - some film school professor

This was a quote that I learned when I started studying 3D animation in college. I'm not sure who said it originally; but I heard it from Eric Hansen, who did a lot of special effects work on films like The Fifth Element, The Day After Tomorrow, Stealth, etc. The basic message is simple, telling a good story is more important than getting all the facts right. Also, just because people might conceivably do something in real life doesn't mean that it makes sense for them to do that same action in a story.

Something to keep in mind the next time you watch a movie that is "based on a true story" or "inspired by a true story."